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When Danny brought up that she felt like she didn't belong in a relationship with carmilla and laura, that she felt out of place, their first reaction was to laugh. How could Danny think this way? Of course she belonged with them, to them even. But Danny had taken their laughing the wrong way. She got upset, scoffed and stood up, ready to storm out before Carmilla quickly got up to stop her. Laura got up and stood next to her vampire lover, blocking Danny’s path.
Carm opened her mouth and delivered a soft apology. Laura’s more panicked one followed suit.
“Hey, I'm sorry, okay? I'm not good at the whole relationship problems thing.”
“Yeah! I'm sorry as well, I didn't mean to laugh in your face or anything, it just seems stupid to think something like that!” She expressed, waving her arms around like some cartoon character.
Carmilla pinched the side of the girl standing next to her for her poor choice of words.
“Ow, what the hell carm?”
She didn't respond as she turned back to look at Danny, her overgrown girlfriends eyes now on the brink of tears.
“Wanna tell us why you think you dont belong with us, big red?”
Danny lowers herself back onto the couch while Laura sits on her left, Carmilla on her right. In regular fashion she grumbles about the nickname.
“You—you guys just, fit together. I feel like everytime we’re together, I'm only paid attention to if one of you needs to briefly leave. You only want to hang out if one of you cancels on the other, it hurts, you know?” Carmilla looks at Laura and can see that she’s reflecting on how she's treated their girlfriend, then she looks at Danny. Her poor girl, the girl who has convinced herself she’s a second choice to them.
And she thinks that if she still had a beating heart, it would be breaking. Danny’s eyes are filled with tears, she's fidgeting with her hands and looking at the floor. Carmilla wants to take her face between her hands and whisper how much she loves her, wants to kiss the red heads' woes away until she sees that she means the world and more to the two of them.
“Laura belongs to you—“ she says looking at Carmilla then turns to look at laura. “and you belong to Carmilla—“ She pauses. “So who do I belong to?” Danny’s voice breaks, the tears finally falling.
Laura turns to Danny and engulfs her in a hug.
“Us.” She whispers.
And Carmilla can see that Laura has begun to cry as well, she can hear the apologies coming from the blonde's lips. Apologies for making Danny feel out of place, for making her feel like she meant little to nothing to them.
Carmilla smiles at her girls, although crying she finds the moment strangely beautiful but she guesses centuries as a vampire will make you appreciate the sullen things in life.
Carm gently grabs the ginger's face and looks her in the eyes with a little smile.
“I'm sorry for making you feel this way. I should’ve noticed sooner, you mean the world to me, carrot top, don't forget that.”
She then kisses both of her cheeks, then on her lips, eager to show that she was being truthful.
“Hey, stop hogging.” Came Laura’s obvious chipper tone.
“I cant hog her if she’s your girlfriend too, sweetheart.” She teases back.
Danny is completely red when she lets out a shy laugh, happy with the attention but rather new to the warm feeling of it.
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They sit there entangled in each other before Laura suddenly jumps up from her place on Danny’s lap.
Carmilla jolts, looking up from her book. Danny just looks up at her with a questioning stare.
“What's the matter hollis?” Little worry is found in her voice. Figuring it's something like an overdue english paper or something.
“Nothing, I'll be right back!” And off she goes, scurrying off to who knows where in the house.
Carmilla lets a steady low rumble settle in the back of her throat, a purr Danny supposes. She then tucks herself under the tallers ones chin, Waiting to see what their girlfriend was in such a hurry for.
Laura slowly creeps back in the living room, hands behind her back, Carmilla can see the glint of a metal ring and red fabric connected to it, in which she immediately knows what it is. She sucks in a breath.
She had bought it as a joke, to tease the big werewolf with, as she was known to make dog jokes in Danny’s presence.
Carmilla wasn't sure what Laura wanted to use it for now. She was nervous, stiff even.
Laura took it from behind her back to show a standard red collar. Danny tilted her head like a dog, ironically.
“What's that for? I don't think we need a dog?” Questioning tone evident.
“Not for a dog..” Laura approaches Danny, slowly as if she was a wild animal while Carmilla observes. The taller girl's eyes widen in realization before Laura raises the collar to her neck, looking her in the eyes before asking a question.
“Is this okay? Can I put this on you?” Carmilla can tell that she’s nervous but Danny blushes and nods slowly. Laura’s face bursts into a smile as she gently puts it on. Making sure to adjust it so it's not too tight or loose.
“Does it feel okay?” Carm smiles at her loving tone. Always so worried for others.
“Uhm, yes, thank you. Can you explain now?” Danny says in a small voice.
“I would also like an explanation, i mean i don't mind seeing clifford here in a collar but i don't think now is the best time, cupcake.” Anyone could hear the smirk in the way she was speaking right now.
“Shut up Carm—“ Laura says quickly as to not give away how flustered she still gets by the nickname. “I was just thinking that, if Danny has a hard time feeling like she belongs with us, then why not give her a reminder that stays around her neck everyday?” Laura emphasizes the word neck by lightly tugging on the ring attached to the collar, causing Danny to let out a little yelp.
Carmilla smirks at the normally clueless blonde's intelligence.
“Hm, are you okay with that clifford?” A chuckle follows directly after the name.
Carmilla looks over to see what Danny’s answer is and sees her tearing up for the second time today, but this time she’s smiling.
“Is it bad that I kinda love it?” A watery laugh comes from her lips, she brings her hand to the fabric on her neck.
“No, I was kinda hoping you would.” Laura says, rocking on her heels.
However, Carmilla was still confused. “If you like it, why are you crying?”
Danny laughs again. “I'm not sure—“ She looks back and forth between her two lovers. “Do I have to wear it out? Can I just wear it in the house?”
Laura’s eyes widen and she starts to flail her arms around again.
“Of course! You don't even have to wear it all the time, or when people are here!—“ Carmilla stops her ramble before it goes on indefinitely and she shoots the vampire a thankful look.
“What she means is you wear it when you want, it’s completely in your control.”
Danny gives them both a soft smile and nods, then pulls Laura in for a kiss. It's soft, no lust in it, and the red head is grateful for that.
She then turns to Carmilla who instead of patiently waiting for her kiss, tugs on the collar and eagerly meets her mouth. There was surprisingly no lust in Carmilla’s kiss either, at least for how it was obtained.
And Danny is glad she told the both of them, cause she realizes that if she had let it linger, it would slowly eat her alive. Break their relationship apart.
But instead she got a cool new collar.